高考英语外刊时事命题阅读理解：超级火爆的手机游戏——2048 A Popular Phone Game --- 2048.pdf

APopularPhoneGame2048 超级火爆的手机游戏——2048 Cirulli created the game “2048” in a single weekend as a test to see if he could program a game from scratch, and was surprisedwhen his game received over 4 million visitors in less than a week. “It wasjust a way for people to kill time,youknow.”,he said. Due to the popularity of 2048, many people now mistakenly believe “Threes!app”launchedamonth earlierthan2048tobeacloneofit. Howtoplay2048? 2048 is played on a simple grid( 方 格 )with numbered tiles that slide smoothly when a player moves them. The moment you slide on the screen, a new tile will randomly appear on the board with a value of either 2 or 4.If two tiles of the same number collide while moving, they will merge into a tile with thetotal value ofthetwotilesthat collided.The game iswon when atilewith a valueof2048appearsontheboard. Why is2048soaddictive? According to some neurologists,people’s addiction to 2048has something to do with the dopamine(多 巴胺), a chemical produced in our body that makes thebrain extremely excited. Games like 2048 offer players two of the biggest dopamine boosters, according to Judy Willis, a neurologist at the Graduate School of Education at University ofCalifornia. The first boost comes from the power of prediction. “The brain loves to make predictions,” Willis says. “In 2048, every 2 or 4 that you move is a prediction you’re not sure whether it’s the best thing to do and the game offers limitless chances to make another prediction. The effects of dopamine ensure that even when you fail to reach 2048, you’ll remain relatively calm. Instead of being stressed out, the brain is so comfortable that it doesn’t want to quit.” The second boost comes from the achievable challenge. If a game is too easy or too hard, dopamine levels stay still. Thus, a game needs to be challenging but beatable. Those who have got 2048 know that the goal is both challenging andpossible,which